GIS Maps

Pinal County Surrounding Airports

The total economic impact (primary plus the multiplier effect) of aviation activities in Pinal County is estimated to exceed $350 million per year which includes supporting an estimated 6000 or more aviation related jobs. This impact originates from a variety of aviation related activities including general aviation, cargo transport, military activities, agricultural, sky diving, fuel sales and travel and tourism. .

Recently, the United States military and several foreign military allies are expressing a greater interest in Pinal County for the testing and manufacturing of the military’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) program operations. Pinal County has multiple landscape scenarios: from low lying dry deserts to wet high mountain regions. Coupled with large expanses of nearly uninhabited land, Pinal County has become a premier site for UAV types of operations now and in the future.

Pinal County Communities

Pinal County, home to nearly 400,000 residents and larger than the State of Connecticut, has 12 incorporated and several unincorporated communities within its borders. The County communities all have diverse population, cultural, historical and economic
backgrounds; from copper mining on the far north, eastern and southern regions of the county, to large agricultural based operations in the center region and then manufacturing, logistics and distribution operations on the western and southwestern regions
of the county.

Pinal County Indian Reservations

The Ak-Chin Indian Community is located 30 miles south of the Phoenix metropolitan area in the north and west region of Pinal County and is adjacent to the present day city of Maricopa. The Nation comprises 21,840 acres with a population of over 1000
tribal members. The contact number is: (520) 568-1000.

The Gila River Indian Community is located 30 miles south and east of the Phoenix metropolitan area in the north central region of Pinal County. The National capital is the community of Sacaton. The Nation comprises a total of 372,000 acres with a population
of over 13,000 members. The contact number is (520) 562-6125.

The Tohono O’odham Indian Community is the 3rd largest Native American reservation in the United States. It comprises of over 2,849,992 acres and has a population of 25,000 members. The nation covers parts of 3 counties in Arizona: Pima (Tucson), Pinal
and Maricopa (Phoenix) Counties. The National capital is the Town of Sells located in far west Pima County. The contact number is: (520) 383-0270.

Pinal County Land Status

Pinal County was formed from portions of Maricopa and Pima counties on Feb. 1, 1875, in response to the petition of residents of the upper Gila River Valley, as "Act #1" of the Eighth Territorial Legislature. Florence, established in 1866, was designated
and has remained the county seat.

The county encompasses 5,374 square miles, of which 4.5 are water. In both economy and geography, Pinal County has two distinct regions. The eastern portion is characterized by mountains with elevations to 6,000 feet and copper mining. The western area
is primarily low desert valleys and irrigated agriculture.

Of the 3,439,369 acres that comprise Pinal County, the state of Arizona is the county’s largest landholder with 35 percent, followed by individuals and corporations, 22 percent; Indian reservations, 23 percent; the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), 14 percent, and the remaining 6 percent is other public lands.

The Arizona Army National Guard, the United States Department of Homeland Security, the Border Patrol and other federal government agencies all have a presence in Pinal County on multiple federal properties.

Pinal County Surface Transportation Infrastructure

Pinal County has a great surface transportation system including: Interstates, federal highways, state highways, county highways and railroads. I–10 runs the length of the county north and south from Los Angeles, CA thru Phoenix to Tucson and ends in
Jacksonville, FL. Work continues on I-10 to expand the road to 6 lanes each way from Tucson to Phoenix – the entire length of Pinal County.

I-8 runs from its junction with I-10 at Casa Grande to San Diego, CA. Several national and state highways also provide access to the interior and peripheral areas of the County for goods and services and civilian transportation needs.

The Arizona Department of Transportation currently has plans to construct, in the future, another Interstate, I-11, that would begin near Eloy connecting at I-10, make a wide sweeping by-pass of western Phoenix and proceed northwest to Las Vegas, NV,
crossing I-40 near Kingman and ending at I-15 in Nevada, thus giving Pinal County direct access to all points in the nation; north, south, east and west.

Union Pacific Railroad enters the county on the far western border with Maricopa County and exits at the southern border with Pima County 20 miles north of Tucson. This rail line begins in LA and runs to El Paso, Texas and points further east. 60% of
the line from LA to El Paso is now double tracked in anticipation of increased rail served opportunities. Plans are also being finalized to construct a 1000 acre rail yard and industrial park in southern Pinal County along this UP line and adjacent to
I-10 and 20 miles south of the junction with I-8.

The Copper Basin Railway operates entirely in Pinal County and is used primarily to service the Asarco copper mine at Ray, AZ and hauls the mined ore to the smelter at Hayden, AZ a few miles away. Union Pacific Railroad is now the owner of this historic
railroad. Future opportunities exist for this rail line as the county’s population increases and additional economic opportunities arise.

Pinal County Water Management Areas

In 1980, the State of Arizona enacted the Groundwater Code in recognition of the need to aggressively manage the state’s finite groundwater resources to support the growing economy. Areas with heavy reliance on mined groundwater were identified and designated
as Active Management Areas (AMAs). There are five AMAs identified within the State and three of them: the Phoenix AMA, Pinal AMA and the Tucson AMA have all or part of their jurisdictions within Pinal County.

These areas are subject to regulation pursuant to the Arizona Groundwater Code. Each AMA carries out its programs in a manner consistent with these goals, while considering and incorporating the unique character of each AMA and its water users. In the
Phoenix, Prescott, and Tucson AMAs, the primary management goal is safe-yield by the year 2025. Safe-yield is accomplished when no more groundwater is being withdrawn than is being annually replaced.

For more information, please contact the Arizona Department of Water Resources at: www.azwater.gov then go to “Search” and type in AMA